The Quest for the Diadem
The Quest for the Diadem is the first story in the Masteri Cycle Era This story is set in the Era of Heroes during the height of the Formorian occupation Major Characters Princess Kylah ap Geir (PC) Prince Brodhan ap Geir (NPC) Krysta (NPC) Octalian (NPC) Kemmor MacHain (NPC) Kitral Avannis (NPC) Kisyah Avannis (NPC) Episode 1 As per the rites of adulthood, Princess Kylah was expected to ride out on a quest to prove herself. She agreed to take her protective older brother, Prince Brodhan ap Geir. She also chose Shamanic apprentice Krysta to join her. She rode to Fiorne lands. She was welcomed by old Queen Callis, who gifted the Princess the artifact known as the Flydah. Kylah also encountered adventurous twins Kitral and Kisyah and agreed to take Kitral with her, leaving the shy, music loving Kisyah behind. She also met the powerful warrior Octalian who she recruited to her team. After leaving the Sidhe tribe lands, the party realized they were being followed and saw that Kisyah had decided to follow them anyway. The party was now six strong as they began the trip north Episode 2 The party eschewed the quicker Northern Byway to take the Kirslund forest where they would get less attention. They met local forester Curradar and traded pelts for fire-lighters. He was somewhat cautious of them but warned them of brigands living in the forest. Sure enough on their last night in the forest a party of brigands attempted to ambush them but were seen off in a one-sided brawl. Curradar came running at the sound of trouble but realizing the enemies had been dispatched, he didn't need to rescue them! Princess Kylah offered him to join them anyway and he agreed to do so. The party also encountered a rare great Red Elk which they watched but didn't hunt. Krysta said this would be a good omen for the journey. On reaching the wide open north they began to take the road to Shodar. As they walked the roads they met with travelling merchant De Haan and his wagon. They traveled together and they sparked up something of a friendship. They stopped off at an Inn where they stayed in a barn. However a Formorian tax patrol arrived and tried to extort them for money! Despite the pleas from the inn-keeper, the party fought the formorian who fled and killed his night-goblin patrolmen. Octalian took a bad wound but looks like he'd recover. De Haan's hired man Kemmor (another Sidhe) decided he would go with the party after this so the party agreed to escort De Haan to Starrick so he can hire new mercenaries. Episode 3 The party marched towards Starrick, arriving after a couple of days. They were distantly pursued by Teutogar warriors who refused to enter Starrick lands. They were greeted with typical fierceness from the Starrick guards. On arrival at the merchant's house Kylah's longbow was confiscated by the Starrick Guards. Kylah needed a letter of permission or to steal the long-bow back. She was taken to the market by De Haan who, much to her shock, purchased clerical slave Seveir to work as her translator. She eschewed the idea of hiring a thief and instead she, Brodhan, Kemmor and the newly acquired Sevier walked up the hill to speak to a member of the Regime-Council. Lord Kreutze met the party there and, after some flirting from Kylah, agreed to provide them with a letter of permission in return for one gold. Kylah agreed to this and paid her bribe. On the return to the City, Kylah purchased leather armor for Sevier, Octalian (over his objections) and Krysta. At the gates, however, they were extorted for a bribe by the Guard-Serjeant. Kylah reluctantly handed over another gold, her last one to exit Starrick. They marched on to the Kolkan wastes, still pursued by the Teutogar. En route they encountered runaway slaves who were given food to avoid a needless skirmish! At Shodar, the abandoned Nayerese outpost, the party were certain that goblins were using the outpost as a hiding place. They evaded past the goblins and headed up to the roof where they encountered a Wight, left there to guard the treasure. The wight was repelled by the Flydah but the party attacked and defeated the wight, freeing the spirit trapped within it. They then fought off the Teutogar who were funneled up the stairs. Kemmor took a serious wound in the process. Episode 4 The party awaited the arrival of the night goblins who eventually drove up the stairs to attack the party. A fierce battle began but the party was able to defeat the night goblins. As the fight broke up two Shadi warriors, survivors of the party that was killed off earlier. Salim and Ali were also looking for the diadem. Princess Kylah agreed that they were welcome to join the group but there was some wariness between them. They tracked the movement of the mysterious "human" who had headed off with the diadem, going east with night goblins. They began to track them, following them into Teutogar land and winding up outside an old Teutogar hill-fort. Kitral and Kisyah scouted the tours but Kitral went missing so the party scaled the walls and attacked, fighting a swarm of night goblins and teutogar warriors. A goblin spear thrust looked like it had killed Seveir but the spear tip had actually stuck in one of his books. The fight was fierce and long, with most of the party taking wounds. But Kitral was able to get back down the hill too. A Nayerse warrior tried to barter his way out but he was cut down by Brodhan and an arrow from Kylah. The Diadem was recovered and the party celebrated. After some talk, Kylah decided to head off to Nayirim to find out how the Diadem worked Episode 5 The Party made for Nayirim, stopping off at an Inn once they arrived within Nayerse borders. The Inn-Keeper warned them of Nayirim being "a den of thieves", a claim which would be proven true, and of missing children within the city. The Party arrived in the city itself, encountering the somewhat lax guards who hassled Salim and Ali. They also were briefly asked if they had seen the missing Nayerse noble, whom it turned out they had killed in the previous episode! The guards told them that Lord Kotoros was looking for him as he was a relative (a son). The Party went to the Bright Leaf, an inn owned by Paropholos, a retired mercenary colleague of Kemmor. The veteran soldier is assisted in running the Bright Leaf by his daughters and his wife. One daughter, Sabra, appeared to take a liking to Ocatalian. The party shooed away a group of ruffians who claimed to work for Nayerse gangster Pitos the Hawk. Paropholos suggested that the party go and speak to Milodemus, a magic user who could explain how the diadem worked. The party found him in the Garden District. He confirmed that the diadem needed to be taken to a site with magical power to activate it, suggesting that either Isle of Faecelos or the Greyhorn Mountains, where a noted and ancient seer lives. The Party decided to go to the Greyhorn mountains. Miloedemus offered to train Krysta as well. To make ends meet during the month while Krysta was being trained, they took up jobs working here and there as guards. Octalian, Kemmor, Brodhan and Curradar took part in a house clearance for the city guard. However whilst Kylah was wandering the market-place her diadem was stolen by Lorolei, a pick-pocket in the employ of Pitos the Hawk. The Party confronted Pitos, who wanted fifteen gold in return for the Diadem or for them to rob Lord Astinos's treasure vault. The party decided to use force, killing Pitos and a large number of his men. Lorolei fled and Krejac, Pitos's right hand man, surrendered. During the fight he came within a whisker of splitting Kisyah in two with a swing of his long-sword. Seveir also had a near miss as a Stellato nearly ran him through but Sevier tripped over and the blade went over his head. The Party were warned that Pitos worked for The Red Prince, a mysterious crime-overlord. Kylah, Sevier and Brodhan later met Lord Kastagos, a senior retainer for House Kotoros who asked them about the missing Nayerse noble who he said was his cousin, Jerjarod Kotoros. After making a good impression on Lord Kastagos, he introduced Princess Kylah to the royal court. She was invited to a (somewhat disastrous) dinner date by Lord Astinos to meet his loutish son. She also met the erudite Prince Elibar, the second in line to the Nayerse throne. He made a good impression on her and in the end offered to join their expedition north. Finally the party followed up investigations into the missing children, following them to the Wagon District, informally known as the Pit. Long Tarn was abducting children and apparently handing them over to the rogue magic user Rusibel. The party once again used the edges of their blades and slew Long Tarn and Rusibel. The party now plans to head north to the dangerous and contested Greyhorn Mountains. Episode 6 The party welcomed Prince Elibar Kaybe, the second son of Nerood Kayne the King of Nayirim, to the party. His mother gave the party three gold to see them off and his father gifted some furs to the party to make sure that they wouldn't freeze in the Greyhorn mountains. Parapholos's daughter Sabra asked to join the party, craving adventure and a change of scene. Paraopholos originally denied the request but in the end relented, feeling that she would just leave anyway if he said no. He charged Kemmor with making sure she came back unharmed. The party journeyed north, stopping off at the tower of Lord Wyvernsbruck. He hosted the party where Krysta, Sabra and Kylah shared a room and had a girly chat, revealing that Krysta had feelings for Brodhan and that Kylah's growing attraction to Kemmor. The party entered Sudar the next day, seeing the temperature drop by the hour. They reached the last Inn before the Greyhorn mountains at the foot of the mountain, known as the Bastion. The homely Inn was jointly owned by tough Sudarest Launatti, affable Nayerse Lakis and the exotic barmaid Dexxaria. Also staying was a Sudarese merchant called Malacam, from whom the party purchased some Fire Lotus Root, a potent healing drug. The party also met a Svaerick mercenary called Torvaldar and his Sasari colleague Nadim. They spoke about potentially hiring the two to join the party, though there was some concern that they couldn't be trusted. A party of rowdy and drunk Sudarese challenged Octalian to a wrestling match which he comfortably won. On her way back to her room Kylah was able to engineer a kiss with Kemmor, confirming their mutual attraction to each other. A howling blizzard descended early the next morning, trapping the party inside the Bastion and one of the Sudarese was found murdered. Lakis and Launatti began to investigate, giving Kylah an hour to prove that Ocatlain or Kisyah, who were both implicated, hadn't murdered the Sudarese man. In the store-room Kylah and Sabra found a chest with a false bottom and asked for Malacam to open it. He did so, reluctantly and a Sassari assassin was hiding inside! He killed Launatti with a swing of his long-sword and Elibar, Sabra and Kylah had to fight the assassin and the merchant, overcoming them both. Kylah took a bad cut in the process and Krysta had to heal her. Overcome with seeing her wounded, Kemmor rushed to her side revealing to the oblivious Brodhan what was going on between them. The next day the party began the journey up the Greyhorn, finding the uphill climb exhilarating and a real challenge. They set a steady pace and by the second day they saw that they were being followed by a large party of about fifty or so. The party reached the plateau but were beset with a blizzard which trapped the party for two days. Willing to risk it, the party pushed on, suffering terribly in the ice and snow but eventually reaching the Sudarese hamlet of Chopak. They were allowed in, though were largely disarmed. They met Sudarese guide and archer Tinlen who offered to take them to the Woada Kavir, though he stated it was considered to be haunted. A local Woadejar, travelling monk, offered to accompany them also. He was asked to join the party. They set out onto the frozen plain, a three day trek across the blizzard strewn plain but it was hard going. Sabra, Seveir, Krysta and Kisyah all suffered badly in the blizzard but they narrowly reached the Woada, cut into the side of a mountain. A tribe of Hill Goblins had made camp there, there was no way to evade. A Hill Goblin warned them that the lands belonged to "Chief Wolf-Stabber" but the party pressed on, starting a fierce battle. Nadim came to the fore, proving to be a fine archer. Torvaldar took half a dozen wounds and looked like he would die but narrowly survived. Poor Kisyah took an arrow in the side which nearly killed him and Brodhan took more than seven arrows, again nearly falling. But in the end the Hill Goblins were routed after Brodhan unleashed a flurry of blows with his Dwarf-Forged Warhammer. The party, bloodied and wounded, waited at the foot of the Woada, afraid that what lay within could prove to be the death of some in the party.... Episode 7 __FORCETOC__